Ain't In It For My Health: A Film About Levon Helm Blu-ray
Posted September 25, 2013 06:06 PM by Webmaster
Kino Lorber has officially announced the Blu-ray release of Ain't In It For My Health: A Film About Levon Helm, a documentary by Jacob Hatley about former The Band drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Levon Helm and his miraculous comeback. After cancer threatened to steal his voice, Helm surprised the world by producing a string of Grammy-winning albums. Street date is October 8th.
Arkansas-born Levon Helm may be most famous as the drummer for The Band, which enjoyed phenomenal success from 1968 to 1976. Their final performance was filmed by Martin Scorsese and used as the subject for the quintessential concert documentary, The Last Waltz. After being diagnosed with throat cancer, a series of radiation treatments left Helm with damaged vocal chords. While attempting to sing backup vocals for his daughter, Amy, he gradually regained the use of his voice. He jubilantly began work on his first solo album in 25 years, Dirt Farmer.
Directed by Jacob Hatley, Ain't In It For My Health is a laid-back and wistful film that chronicles Helm in the wake of his Dirt Farmer success and in the process of creating Electric Dirt, the final studio album of this remarkable music legend. The film punctuates the image of Helm toward the end of his life with insight into his famed past, using archival footage of The Band appearing at Woodstock and on "The Ed Sullivan Show".
Hatley filmed with Helm for almost three years, capturing him at work at his Woodstock, NY home, hanging out with his friends, including actor Billy Bob Thornton, and spending time with his beloved daughter and infant grandson. Ain't In It For My Health is an inspiring experience that no fan of Folk or Americana music should miss.